Elections, manifestos, and the infra agenda

Manifestos should clearly indicate the thrust areas planned to be addressed

A review of the election manifestos of the leading political parties prior to the 2014 and 2019 general elections makes for interesting reading. These manifestos were critiqued by this columnist in the Infratalk of April 9, 2014 (“The Manifesto Route to Nation-building”), and April 17, 2019 (“The Infra Quotient in Manifestos”). But this is not the occasion to look at the rear-view mirror; rather let’s focus on the road ahead through the windscreen of infra-sector requirements.

The most important issue is to clearly recognise the resources the nation would need to invest over the next five years. To address that issue,